Our Staff

Having worked in downtown district management for over 20 years, Chip is a strong proponent of supporting social infrastructure and is fascinated by the intersection of the public realm and private interests. Prior to coming to lead the Downtown Boulder Partnership, Chip served as the Executive Director for the Downtown Association of Santa Cruz and has been a long time advocate for arts, culture, and innovation.

Sue Hempstead has been a part of the team since 1998, starting out as the office assistant in the three person organization. A native of Boulder, she loves working in the city where she grew up. Sue earned a bachelor’s degree from Cal State Long Beach. Although her degree wasn’t in accounting, she has grown to love handling the finances for the Downtown Boulder organizations.

Anna Salim has overseen Downtown Boulder’s signature events for over a decade. She is responsible for the planning, execution and sponsorship sales for over a dozen community events. Anna also oversees the organization’s operations and membership teams and manages the public art and other special projects of Downtown Boulder Community Initiatives (501(c)(3)). She served on the City of Boulder's Arts Commission (2010 - 2015) and currently serves on the board for the PTO at Lafayette Elementary School.

Terri Takata-Smith is an experienced marketing and PR strategist with more than a decade on the Downtown Boulder team. She specializes in developing and implementing comprehensive marketing / promotional campaigns and communication plans. Terri is a 2020 International Downtown Association (IDA) Emerging Leader Fellow and received IDA’s Leadership in Place Management (LPM) certification in 2022. She currently serves on the board of directors for Downtown Colorado, Inc. and Visit Boulder.

Dave Adams is a longtime Boulder resident. With 35 years in the restaurant business, Dave joined Downtown Boulder in 2000. He currently works part-time assisting businesses overcome challenges operating in a downtown environment as the Business Liaison. In his free time, Dave enjoys skiing, mountain biking, swimming, and playing tennis or squash.

Kat grew up in Boulder and has always been passionate about making a difference in her local community. She considers herself to be a lifelong learner, nature lover, and night sky enthusiast. Kat is joining the team with a background in scientific program management, holding a B.A. in Astrophysics and an M.S.Ed. in Learning Sciences. She is excited to manage membership engagement and programming, and to support the growth of partnership initiatives.

Emi Smith grew up in the Midwest but has always had a longing to live near the mountains. After graduating from Butler University in 2021 with degrees in Strategic Communication and Political Science, she made her way from Indiana to Colorado. Emi is passionate about the power of a good story, the importance of building relationships and the necessity of local community. In her free time, she can most often be found on hikes, in yoga studios or reading inside coffee shops.